Wondering what to do with the kids during the school holidays? Check out the highlights of exciting nature activities specially for kids lined up for the school holidays! And the highlight is Ubin Day with a weekend of family fun at Pulau Ubin, Singapore's last kampung.

Uncle Andrew pointing out critters during an Ubin Day walk!
Photo by Tze Kwan Fung.

Thanks to Victor Yue for highlighting the celebration. He says "every year, on the same day as Vesak Day (4M15), the Pulau Ubin Tua Pek Kong Temple celebrates in honour of Tua Pek Kong." There will be festivities, free wayang shows with free evening ferry rides.

In tandem with the 'World of Flowers' Exhibition at the CDL Gallery, this guided tour invites participants to take a closer look at parts of a flower and understand their forms and functions. Enter into a world of colours and let the mysterious roles of flowers unfold before you!

The mud at Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve is a key habitat for the plants and animals. This unique habitat is full of surprises!

Get close and personal to the mud and observe the rich biodiversity; critical to the ecosystem at Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve. Join us for an interesting free guided walk featuring our lesser known creatures of the mudflats in Sungei Buloh.

Started in June 2010 and resumed early 2013, this Nature Art workshop is for the serious artists and those with relevant art background. Get ready to busy yourself with sketchpads and paint brushes at Dairy Farm Nature Park. Volunteer leader, Jerome Pang will be sharing and guiding volunteers and participants to develop their art skills while raising awareness on conservation and native biodiversity.

Suitable for individuals age 16 and above. Each session a maximum of 15 people.

Join us as we explore Sungei Khatib Bongsu 2 (SKB2) by kayak. SKB2 is a land of giants compared to SKB1. Everything here seems to grow bigger, from clams to trees. The waterways and ponds are confusing, making navigation a challenge. Once inside, it is hard to know where things are relative to each other. Still, the allure of SKB2 lies in our curiosity to explore this almost-forgotten river. Paddling beneath the hanging roots of an immense fig, past canopied creeks, one cannot help but wonder if this natural playground can be conserved for others to appreciate the richness of one of Singapore’s last great rivers.

Simon Chan will lead us on a butterfly quest following the former railway track, from King Albert Park passing through Bukit Timah Railway Station and ending at Old Holland Road. The walk runs through Clementi forest and is probably the richest butterfly stretch along the entire Rail Corridor. A good mix of forest and open field butterflies is anticipated. Often Singapore’s largest butterfly the Common Birdwing, a nominee for the National Butterfly title, can be spotted here.

Things to Bring: Bring along your binoculars, cap, water and lots of sunblock.

Take a walk with us to experience Ubin's wonderful natural and cultural heritage. The walk takes about 2 hour to complete. The tour will start at the Ubin-HSBC Volunteer Hub and take you through the spice trees around Jelutong campsite, Butterfly Hill, Pekan Quarry, Sensory Trail Ponds, Kampong House, Old Bin Kiang School site, Toa Pek Kong Temple and end at the Wayang Stage. You will hear about the use of spices in cooking and the interesting history of the different sites.

Do you know what the Ubin-HSBC Volunteer Hub was in the 1970s? When was the Toa Pek Kong Temple built? If you would like to know, then this is an excellent introduction to the heritage of the island.

For all ages, children under the age of 13 to be under parental/guardian guidance.

Limited to 4 groups, each group a maximum of 15 people. Register online here.

Re-discover the wonders of Lower Peirce through this free nature appreciation guided walk. Along the shady, cool boardwalk, discover and learn about the amazing plants and animals that can be found along the trails.

Keep an eye out for pitcher plants, Macaranga (Ant-plant) and Nibong palms as well as macaques and on lucky days we might even get spot the Flying lemur (Colugo) in action. Gain a greater appreciation of Singapore’s rich natural heritage and the need to protect it for our future generations.

What to bring: Water, rain gear, umbrella, hat
What to wear: Comfortable T-shirt, long pants, and covered hiking shoes
Group Size: Max 15 participants per group

In collaboration with PUB, the Bird Group will conduct a birdwatching walk at Lorong Halus. In 2011, Lorong Halus Wetland was created by PUB to help purify water that flows through the former rubbish dump. For years, Little Grebes have made their home at Lorong Halus and they continue to do so. Grassland birds such as Yellow-bellied Prinias, Munias, Baya Weavers and Long-tailed Shrikes also thrive here.

Horseshoe crabs (HSC) are in decline globally due to the loss of habitat, poaching and overfishing. They also get trapped in abandoned fishing nets and need our help to set them free. With such concerns, NSS aims to continually monitor our local HSC population to ensure that they stay around for many generations to come. Things to bring: cap, shoes/booties, sunblock, repellent, cutter for horseshoe crab rescue and camera. Washing facilities available after the event.

The Naked Hermit Crabs introduce you to Chek Jawa without getting your feet wet. Even though we are not going on to the shore, there is still much to see and enjoy. There are monitor lizards, fiddler crabs, spiders, rare plants, wild boar, mudskippers and lots of fruit trees. If we are lucky, we might even spot the Oriental Pied Hornbill, White-bellied Sea Eagle and the giant Atlas Moth.

Not more than five persons in a group, pre-register with this online form.

The long-tailed macaques are the most conspicuous animals at Macritchie Reservoir Park. Although commonly seen, they are very misunderstood. Few seeing them realise anything about the social world these monkeys live in. They have kin networks, power struggles, friends, foes, and an otherwise complex social network. In many ways, they provide a mirror of our own sociality.

If you would like to learn more about your community and the interesting world of your neighbouring macaques at Macritchie, please join our free walk, led by experts from the Jane Goodall Institute Singapore.

Suitable for adults and children above 8 years.

Register at sg.monkey.walk@gmail.com, at least 3 days in advance. Do provide us with your preferred date, name, contact number (in case of cancellation, we will contact you), number of adult and children participants (at most, 5 participants per registration). Upon receiving your registration, we will reply with a confirmation email. The walk will be cancelled if there is bad weather 45 minutes before the walk.

Mangrove forests are living borders of the freshwater and salt water. Out of 73 true mangroves species worldwide, 22 can be found in Sungei Buloh. Join us for a lovely morning walk and get to know the mangrove trees and plants of Sungei Buloh.

Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve celebrates World Migratory Bird Day on 9 May 2015.

Enjoy painting and wish to contribute your artwork to the wetland reserve? Come on down to the Sungei Buloh for a fun morning painting pebbles, with birds in mind as the theme for the day. Materials provided. Pebbles to remain at the wetlands reserve and will be display as a composite artwork.

But wait, isn’t the migratory bird season over? Not to worry, join Mr David Li, Sungei Buloh’s Senior Conservation Officer, and he will give you a sneak peek at what the Sungei Buloh's team do during the migratory season and you will be brought into the wonderful world of natural winged migration that happens every year since the turn of time.

A tip for a long-weekend trip
Our wild places and parks can get VERY crowded on long weekends. The best way to avoid the crowds is to arrive early in the morning and leave early. Our wildlife is generally more active in the morning too!

Sign up for the Nature Guided Walk during the Istana Open House on Labour Day. This guided walk is a collaboration between the President’s Office and the National Parks Board (NParks), which will showcase the Istana’s flora, fauna and biodiversity.

The guided walk starts from 10am to 4pm, and is conducted hourly. Please look out for signs on the Istana grounds to find out where you can register for the guided walk.

Time: 10am to 4pm every hour.
Costs:
$2 for each child aged 3 years & above.
$4 for Singaporeans / PRs aged 13 and above.
$10 for foreigners (aged 13 & above).
Family package, $12 for Singaporeans / PRs (family of 4) and $30 for foreigners (family of 4).
Please make the payment on the spot on the event date itself.
Each guided walk group can take up to 12 people